# Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

14 Hacker News commenters recommended Politics and the English Language by George Orwell and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a short, sharp essay on clear, precise writing that people find still relevant.

## Why people recommend it

- Enjoyable, favorite read (5 comments): "Politics and the English Language is my favorite essay." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484415)) "I find Orwell's English essay one of my favorites." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46488250)) "Ah, I just read through it. That’s was a fun read." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49586793))
- Worth reading, essential (4 comments): "Orwell's entire essay (Politics and the English Language) is well worth reading if you haven't before" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49583452)) "I would suggest that you take a look at the "Politics and the English Language" essay by Orwell." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46483172)) "I also recommend reading George Orwell's essay Politics and the English Language" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46877032))
- Still relevant today (2 comments): "I find Orwell's essay to still be entirely relevant" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49064380)) "it remains highly relevant" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49813989))
- Precise use of language (2 comments): "Their logical flow is very natural, and his word choices are very precise." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49605783)) "on the importance of precise use of language" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49436333))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Programming as Theory Building by Peter Naur](https://hackerapproved.com/p/programming-as-theory-building.md): 32 recommend
- [Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ur-fascism.md): 18 recommend
- [Right to Read by Richard Stallman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/right-to-read.md): 12 recommend
- [Meditations on Moloch by Scott Alexander](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations-on-moloch.md): 11 recommend
- [Reflections on Trusting Trust by Ken Thompson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/reflections-on-trusting-trust.md): 10 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Politics and the English Language by George Orwell", https://hackerapproved.com/p/politics-and-the-english-language/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).